


The Unexpected Dangers of Dreameating

by hibiren



Series: Jay's Promptis Collection [7]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fae, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Blood, Blood and Injury, Daemons, Darkness, Dreams and Nightmares, Fae & Fairies, Fae Magic, Fairies, Falling In Love, Fantasy, Feels, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, Love, M/M, Mild Blood, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Nausea, Nightfae!Noctis, Pain, Promises, Promptis - Freeform, Sunfae!Prompto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-29 21:57:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20089408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hibiren/pseuds/hibiren
Summary: One night, a starving Noctis stumbles into the first faehouse he can find, frantic with hunger, hoping that he can make up for lost meals - but his feeding doesn't go as planned and throws his whole life upside-down.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A tangent from my Fae!Ignis AU - where Noctis is a nightfae who eats dreams, memories, and thoughts for sustenance. I thought an encounter with a certain sunny blond fae would be interesting to explore. Enjoy! :3
> 
> Mood Piece: [Kiki's Delivery Service - The Changing Seasons](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5l__2UsW_k)

Dusk swathed the forest in navy and orange, shadows and sunrays. Noctis trailed the winding shadows cast by the trees like a pathway, bright blue eyes searching through the evening sun until he found exactly what - or who - he’d been looking for.

At a hollow between thick tree roots, a blanket of moss served as a familiar doorway. He stepped inside, enjoying the springiness of the moss as it gave beneath his feet. Small orbs of light floated dreamily overhead to illuminate the way inside. At the very back of the root cave, a small figure lay curled on top of a pile of woven gold blankets, hugging a pillow to his chest. Hair just as gold as the sheets, sprinkled with black and silver highlights, fluffed out in lightly curling wisps from his head. Two golden-black swallowtail butterfly wings tucked close against his back. If Noctis had the courage, he’d say that the sight of the sleeping fae before him was beautiful. Serene at the very least.

Noctis stepped closer, feet barely touching the ground as he walked, and the blond fae remained sleeping. Echoes of dreams called to him, of shining sunlight and flowers blooming and lighthearted dancing… the images, the sounds, the intoxicating scents of vivid dreams only grew in intensity as Noctis kneeled at the fae’s sleeping side and touched his freckled cheek. His mouth twitched against Noctis’ thumb, but other than that, he remained still. Noctis did his best not to start salivating as the dreams continued calling to him.

As much as he wanted to continue taking in the view, the increasingly uncomfortable twisting in his gut continued to persist in reminding him of how unbearably hungry he was, how long it had been since he fed last - especially after how the run-in with his last attempt at a meal ended in an unwanted confrontation and left him no choice but to expend what little energy he’d had left to flee.

Unable to wait any longer, Noctis bent down and brushed his lips to the sunfae’s sleeping mouth. Noctis closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of sunshine and flowers, shuddering as a welcome wave of energy flowed into his tired body, slowly rejuvenating him.

_Prompto,_ Noctis heard, the name echoing through his thoughts as the dreams continued to play behind his eyelids.

“Prompto,” he then muttered aloud, after pulling away to wipe his mouth, catch his breath. Radiant energy trickled in glowing tendrils from Prompto’s half-parted lips, the shimmering cloud just visible enough to Noctis in his hungered state.

“Noc...tis…” whispered the sunfae, and Noctis convulsed, gagging on a memory that forced its way back up his throat. No, this wasn’t supposed to happen… no one ever woke during his feedings. “Noctis…?”

Noctis covered his mouth and clutched his stomach, swallowing in frantic gasps to keep his hard-earned meal down. How did Prompto know his name? Come to think of it, what made him learn Prompto’s? His head spun as much as his gut trying to comprehend his situation.

One of Prompto’s freckled hands reached up to touch his lips, drawing a silver-gold trail of his dream away. He looked at it, blinked in fear, and wiped it against the sheets beneath his hand, shrinking against the wall behind him, hair bristling up and wings spread wide as if to make himself look intimidating.

“What… were you doing?” asked the trembling sunfae, eyes darting wildly between Noctis’ eyes, lips, and the matching silver droplets that still lingered in the corners of his mouth. Noctis just tongued them away and crossed his arms, trying to ignore the throbbing in the back of his throat.

“I was trying to eat,” answered Noctis simply.

Prompto frowned. “Eat? Eat _me?”_

“Not you,” Noctis sighed, fidgeting with the star shaped clasp of his cape. “Your dreams. I need to eat dreams and memories to live. If you haven’t noticed… I’m starving. Go back to sleep.”

A ball of light conjured beside Prompto, floating and sputtering angry embers in Noctis’ direction, but it wavered. As with Noctis during the day, sunfae at night had limited powers. Prompto offered no threat to him. “No. You should leave here.”

“Or what?” asked Noctis, stepping forward to close the distance between him and his dinner. “It’s not going to kill you, I promise. It doesn’t even hurt. It only hurts if you try to hold the dreams back from me, because I’d have to bite you to get to them. Your mouth is just the most convenient way to extract them. Nothing I can do about that.”

The conjured light shimmered and blinked a few times before extinguishing, leaving them in the low light of the cave, with the orbs overhead offering dimmed glows.

“Let me finish,” Noctis urged, pinning Prompto to the wall by his hands, staring directly into his frightened eyes. “Please. I’m hungry. I’ll leave you alone after. If I don’t eat now…” A weak shudder trailed through his body, both at the thought of food and the thought of eternal sleep.

Although Prompto squirmed, it was futile. Noctis was significantly stronger than him, even in his hunger-weakened state, due to the lack of sunlight. “You promise it won’t hurt?”

“Promise. As long as you don’t fight me.”

With fear shining in his eyes, reflecting the light-casting orbs, the sunfae finally made his decision. “Okay. On one condition. I… I’d like you to take my nightmares too. Those I’d be happy to get rid of. Eat as many as you want.”

“Nightmares, you say?” Fear was just as powerful an emotion in ridding his hunger as bliss, sadness, and anger, regardless of the side effects he may take on after. Anything, felt strongly enough, was good enough food for him, as desperate as he was. “Fine. Deal.”

Slowly forcing himself to untense, Prompto laid back against his pile of blankets and waited for Noctis to accompany him. The faeprince didn’t take any time at all, pressing their faces together in a hungry rush, drinking every last remaining drop of the dreams that lingered blurrily in Prompto’s mind. He caught glimpses of darkness, grasping hands, even a flash of his own face, as the visions of blooming fields gave way to churning waves, storm clouds, and unrelenting fire. He was so hungry, he didn’t realize he was starting to take from Prompto’s essence as well - he had to stop himself when he tasted the sweet metal of fae blood.

“Sorry,” Noctis gasped, tearing himself away and swiping an arm against his mouth, trying to rid himself of the alarming taste that haunted his tongue. “I… I was hungry, I’m sorry.”

Why was he apologizing? Any other day he would have just stood, turned, and left his prey where it laid. But a fire burning in his chest kindled higher as he watched the pitiful, pale sunfae on the verge of hyperventilation as he clung to the blankets, eyes wide yet staring at nothing.

“I’m sorry,” Noctis tried again, reaching out to touch Prompto’s freckled shoulder - who shied away from his hand and looked up at him with terrified eyes.

Barely above a whisper, Prompto asked, “Why me?”

“I was led here. It’s very easy to find sunfae houses in the forest… yours was the closest.” It was about as much of an answer as Noctis could give. Guilt churned his full stomach and he frowned, trying to push the feeling away, but it was as if the fae himself was kicking his way back up Noctis’ burning throat. “I’ll… let you get back to sleep now. Busy morning, tomorrow, I bet.”

Without saying anything, or giving Prompto a chance to, the faeprince turned and darted out of the cave, disappearing into the cloudless night sky.

_It’s just food, it’s just dreams,_ Noctis repeated to himself as he searched the treeline beneath him as he floated, trying to find something to distract himself. _Am I wrong for ridding fae of things they won’t remember in the morning anyway? They’re supposed to be asleep when I eat. What have I done? ...What am I doing? Why is he still on my mind?_

He’d probably have to return to ask Prompto himself, but he knew after what happened, he likely wouldn’t be a welcome guest in that house again. No amount of magic he could conjure would probably get Prompto to forgive him. But what Noctis was so stuck on, was _why_ he felt so guilty. It burned through him in a humiliating embarrassment unlike any sensation he’d felt before.

_All that matters is, I’ve eaten, and I can go home now._

_Home…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis falls into dreams of his own and realizes that even in his own mind, he can't escape the troubles of his waking life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had another idea to continue this after posting the previous chapter and wanted to get it out :D
> 
> I listened to [Spirited Away's "Sixth Station"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kVSVRdmnTE) while writing this, if you'd like to read and listen for extra fae-vibes!

Just as the world began to wake, Noctis burrowed into his nest of blankets and cast a shading shroud across the increasing brightness in the interior of his faehouse. It had been a very long night. Although he had considerably more energy than the previous night, the taste of guilt and metal still lingered in the back of his throat as he closed his eyes and tried to fight off his thoughts with rest, a much-needed nap.

In his sleep, visions of stolen dreams flitted past, brief glimpses of past feedings. Yet through it all, an eerie undertone of faint wailing persisted, growing stronger as Noctis fell further into his dreamvoid. Reaching out, shadows slipped through his fingers, heavy and rushing thick like water against his skin. Usually navigating his own dreamscape was much easier than this. An attempt to conjure a starry sky, or a moon to light his way, resulted in a few distant blinks.

When Noctis opened his mouth to try to command the void to his will, a shriek cut through the dark. A sound he unfortunately recognized as the grating screech of a nightcurse - a low-ranking fae that had no control over its feedings, bordering on daemonism. Nightcurses were often the reason that dark fae were such outcasts, although they were practically two entirely different species. Not that any victim would take note of that after any nightcurse encounter. It was terrifying for Noctis to hear the cries within his own mind, even though he knew he wouldn’t succumb to the attempt at inciting a fight or flight response.

“You may have hurt Prompto, but you can’t get to me,” Noctis called into the dark, and two piercing purple eyes appeared within the shadows, staring him down in challenge. “Stay away from my food.”

_‘Your’ food,_ scoffed the nightcurse, its amethyst eyes narrowing, _I saw him first._

“And I outrank you. So _stay away_ from _my_ food. You won’t be making prey of me, either.”

That was all it took for the nightcurse to lunge at him with a sharp cry, brandishing shining silver claws that formed out of the shadows and dripped with dark magic. Noctis dodged the attack, tracing a conjured shape of a constellation in midair to summon a shower of falling stars to rain down on his furious opponent. Noctis wasn’t looking for a fight, but he felt confident in doing so now; the strength from Prompto’s dreams that flowed through him subconsciously seemed to cheer him on as if to say, _make him pay._

They were evenly matched, as the fight drew on. It was as if both read the other’s movements one step ahead in a risky game. When Noctis concentrated a glowing star into his hand, preparing to launch fire at the nightcurse, it sidestepped his attack and silver claws dug like daggers into his skin. Blood blossomed forth quickly from the wounds; Noctis barely had any time to register that he was in pain before the nightcurse opened its dripping mouth, lunging toward his chest to deliver the final blow. It took everything in the faeprince to will his concentration, and most of his energy, into one decisive last attack - he traced a five-point star and thrust both hands forward, and from the center of the star, a bright burst of light beamed straight into and through the demon’s mouth - dissipating it and its body into nothing as the magic took over.

Noctis jolted awake with a start, coughing thick, dark red onto the floor beside him. His chest was bleeding still; he should have known that the nightcurse’s damages would be just as real as if it were attacking him in the world outside of his dreams. Weak hands raised, pressed to the open gashes, but they didn’t heal. He was too worn out to have any hope of fixing himself.

There was only one other option he had, and he hoped it would work.

Slowly, he pulled himself to his feet, trying not to strain the wounds any further. He wrapped his cape tightly around his chest to hopefully stop the bleeding and wobbled out of his faehouse to find someone who could help. It was burning, bright daylight outside, to make matters worse - but Noctis pushed through the pain as best as he could to tear through the forest, searching.

Noctis practically dragged himself to the familiar, mossy rootcave and called out feebly,

“...Help… please…?”

The sunfae’s blond head poked immediately out of the moss and his eyes went wide in realization. As much as Noctis hated himself, Prompto was the only one who could help him that was within reach.

“What… happened to you?! Are… you okay?” Prompto asked, recoiling when Noctis coughed harshly, crimson spilling past his lips. The look in his eyes seemed to say that he wanted to help, but was still afraid of him.

“No, I’m not okay,” Noctis chuckled bitterly, past a faint, pained groan. “But you will be now. I… found your nightcurse. It’s gone for good. If… if I can’t heal in time, I’ll be gone too. I just… thought I’d let you know, before…”

The world spun out of control as Noctis collapsed, vision blacking. He was surprised to feel warm arms encircle him, cradling him carefully while gently pulling him into the cave’s welcome shade. If he died here, he’d be happy knowing he at least, for once in his life, did something right.

It was dark when Noctis opened his eyes again, save for the familiar resonant light of conjured magic hanging overhead. Warm blankets surrounded him and although he couldn’t move, he felt… comfortable. The only pain that lingered now was a slow, throbbing ache in his head, chest, and his strained back.

“Am… I…” Noctis wondered, realizing he was speaking out loud when a familiar, soft voice answered him.

“You’re safe. I did what I could to heal you - I was afraid I’d drawn too much darkness out, but I did what I had to do. The nightcurse - or whatever you’d called it - really left a mark on you.”

The sunfae’s eyes looked tired, almost mournful as he spoke. “I just… wanted to say, thank you. Both for not killing me in the past, and for saving me from my nightmares. If… you ever get hungry again, I’d… be okay with letting you have a dream or two. As a thanks.”

The corners of Noctis’ lips slowly worked their way upward in a weakened smile. “Can I… take you up on that now? It… would help me be able to move a bit easier and… stop this aching in my chest.”

“But I’m not sleeping,” Prompto said with a frown as he made his way to Noctis’ side. “How?”

“Come here. Just give me your mouth and I can do the rest. No pain, I promise. Just like before. It helps if you relax.”

Hesitantly, the sunfae eventually leaned down and put a hand to the chilled skin at the back of Noctis’ neck, raising his head enough so they could bring their lips together.

This time, Noctis found it a lot easier to restrain himself, only taking as much energy from Prompto as he was willing to give. Although Noctis was exhausted, he stopped when he felt Prompto flinch, freezing over him; he gently nudged Prompto away, knowing he didn’t want to break their join himself. Some part of him craved the proximity, and wished he could have lingered just a while longer, even if it wasn’t to take dreams.

“Are you okay?” Noctis asked, finding strength gathering in his voice.

Prompto nodded although words seemed lost to him in the moment. After a while, the sunfae spoke, “If… you want to stay here and rest, you can.”

“I’d like that.” After a long pause and a deep breath, Noctis whispered, “Thank you. Really.”

The taste of sunshine lingered in his mouth, washing away the bitterness of his own blood. Although the gentle sweetness from Prompto’s dreams slowly began to ebb away, Noctis struggled hard to remember it. It was something he couldn’t explain, that left his chest warm and buzzing, and rid him of all his aches. A kind of magic he had never known before. It was…

_Love._

**Author's Note:**

> I had fun with this :D


End file.
